Box Score

NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – The State University of New York at New Paltz men's basketball team (3-2, 1-0 SUNYAC) knocked off SUNY Fredonia (5-1, 0-1 SUNYAC) in dominating fashion in the 2011-12 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) opener for both teams, as the Hawks downed the Blue Devils by a 75-58 final at the Hawk Center on Friday night.

Senior guard/forward Harris Wichard (Merrick, N.Y./Bellmore JFK) led the way for the Hawks with career-high-tying 27 points off 10-of-15 shooting from the floor and 5-of-7 shooting from the free-throw line. He recorded his third double-double of the year by adding 11 rebounds, eight of which came on the defensive glass. Joining Wichard in double figures were junior guard Nick Taldi (Merrick, N.Y./Bellmore JFK) and junior forward Matt Devine (Manalapan, N.J./Freehold Township), who chipped in with 16 and 15 points, respectively. Freshman forward/center Alan Siergiej (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph by-the-Sea) had a productive night coming off the bench, collecting six rebounds, five assists and two blocks.

For Fredonia, the bulk of its scoring came from its reserves, as Amir Billups drained a team-high 14 points off 5-of-11 shooting from the floor, including 4-of-9 shooting from distance, while Damien Goodwin II added 10 points. Julius Bryant and Jonathon Herrera tied for the game-high in steals with three each, while Goodwin II paced the Blue Devils' rebounding efforts with seven boards.

As a team, the Hawks shot 48.1 percent (25-of-52) from the field compared to the Blue Devils' 30 percent clip off 21-of-70 shooting. New Paltz turned the ball over more, coughing the ball up 19 times compared to Fredonia's 13, but the Hawks held the edge on the glass by a 42-33 cushion. The Blue Devils, though, capitalized on both turnovers and rebounds, gaining 17 points off turnovers and 17 second-chance points.

New Paltz hopped out to an 11-4 lead, but Fredonia drew within two after a Markus Williams layup capped a 5-0 run. The two teams battled for the lead toward the tail end of the first half, and a layup by senior center Daniel Olsen (Stafford Springs, Conn./Wilbraham and Monson Academy) at 6:18 of the first half put the Hawks ahead for good at 21-20. Herrera had a chance to make it a one-possession game heading into the halftime intermission, but he nearly missed on a three-pointer, as New Paltz took a 34-28 lead into the locker room.

After Bryant knocked down a pair of free throws to bring the Blue Devils back within six (36-30) at 18:04 of the second half, the Hawks authored an insurmountable surge, going on a 14-0 tear that included six points from Wichard. Fredonia went nearly five minutes without scoring, and Williams ended the Hawk run at 13:46 of the second half.

New Paltz gained a 21-point advantage, tied for its largest of the night, off a Devine layup at 8:57 of the second half, but the Blue Devils went on a 10-0 spurt that was ignited by an eight-point effort by Billups to pull within 11 points at 57-46. The Hawks continued to build on their lead, though, and Olsen equaled the squad's largest lead of the night with a layup at 1:21 of the second half, pushing the score out to 75-54 in favor of the home team. Fredonia scored four points in the closing 1:06, but the deficit proved too large as New Paltz emerged victorious by a comfortable margin.

The Hawks face a tough test tomorrow afternoon, squaring off with No. 16 Buffalo State in a SUNYAC contest at 4 p.m. at the Hawk Center.